It became a central issue in the recent mayoral election and residents frequently raise concerns at town hall meetings.

Lately, the New Orleans Police Department has operated with fewer than 1,200 officers -- a 25 percent drop from 2010 when New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu took office and a figure that is near a 40-year low.

While the city says it's working with the NOPD to try to recruit new officers, the WDSU I-Team obtained documents that show the mayor's office recently considered a new idea dealing with law enforcement -- one that infuriated the police associations when the I-Team brought it to their attention.

Per the city's Home Rule Charter, the NOPD is the only police force allowed in New Orleans. However, in the days following the announcement of an expensive consent decree, the mayor's office asked the state's highest-ranking legal authority a question that prompted the I-Team to ask a few of its own.

Securing Orleans Parish Prison? That's a job for deputies with the sheriff's office. At the courthouse, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office is in charge there, too.

Those are the two primary responsibilities of the office headed by Sheriff Marlin Gusman.

However, the I-Team discovered that two years ago that Landrieu explored another idea to utilize the sheriff's office.

In an official letter sent from former city attorney Richard Cortizas to Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell in August of 2012, the city asked the AG to weigh in on a legal issue in New Orleans -- a matter that deals with perhaps the biggest challenge in the city: public safety.

Cortizas asked the attorney general in the letter if it's possible for the city and the Landrieu administration to "contract with the Orleans Parish Sheriff to provide law enforcement services to the citizens of the City of New Orleans."

Three top officials with local law enforcement groups interpret the request the same way: as an inquiry to determine whether the city could use deputies as cops.

"It's one of the most disturbing documents I've ever seen," said Police Association of New Orleans President Michael Glasser.

The city's Home Rule Charter not only defines the role of the NOPD, but notes, "No officer, department or board operating in or for the city, other than the department of police, shall have a police force."

In recent months, NOPD staffing has been a hot button issue. The New Orleans City Council lifted the residency requirement for officers in the spring and the mayor vowed to get more police on the street by year's end.

But the Police Association of New Orleans said the request for a formal opinion from the AG shows the mayor's office was aware of dwindling numbers inside the NOPD years ago and looking for work-arounds.

"We are even more concerned this was done in August of 2012, and it shows clearly the city knew in August of 2012 we had manpower issues policing the city," said PANO lawyer Eric Hessler.

The formal request was sent seven days after the mayor championed a new agreement with the federal government to reform the police department.

"This AG opinion and its filing is interesting, given the fact that consent decree was filed about a week earlier," said Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Raymond Burkart III.

That consent decree came with a $55 million price tag. It required more officers and stringent training for all cops. That alone would have prevented sheriff’s deputies from serving as police, PANO says.

"Essentially what the city contemplated doing was hiring substandard people to police the city of New Orleans and let them do police work - and that is reckless," said Hessler.

For example, the NOPD requires officers to spend 880 hours at the academy. The sheriff's office asks much less of deputies.

Less than 350 hours of training is required to be a deputy or to guard inmates at the jail -- a jail criticized last year for inadequate security measures as inmates were caught on camera appearing to be drinking alcohol, doing drugs and wielding weapons.

The city asked the AG for an expedited response back in 2012, but within two months withdrew its request.

City Attorney Sheronda Williams told the I-Team it isn't what PANO and the Fraternal Order of Police feared.

In a statement she said, "It was never the city's intention to have sheriff's deputies patrol the streets or to have the sheriff's office replace the NOPD as the city's law enforcement agency."

She insists the question was simply to clarify "a state law related to law enforcement services" related to funding matters for the Orleans Parish Prison.

A spokesman for the sheriff's office said he was not aware that the city had asked for the opinion and had not been contacted by City Hall regarding the matter.

FOP leaders believe the city withdrew its question when officials realized the idea of using the sheriff’s office in new ways would never fly.

"We need to quit with the unicorns and rainbows, and get down to brass tacks and get our priorities together, because quite frankly, that AG opinion was unnecessary from the start," said Burkart.

The Landrieu administration insists they never intended to use deputies in the role of police.

Deputies already perform non-law enforcement duties tied in to big events. They have been seen helping with traffic, for instance, around the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

In many other Louisiana communities, the sheriff's office does have a primary role similar to that of the NOPD.

The city issued the following response:

“The 2012 request to the Attorney General sought legal clarification about a state law related to law enforcement services. At the time, the City was considering an additional one penny tax to fund the Orleans Parish Prison. It was never the City’s intention to have Sheriff’s deputies patrol the streets or to have the Sheriff’s office replace the NOPD as the City’s law enforcement agency. The City chose not to move forward with this option, which is why the request was withdrawn. Nevertheless, the City is still facing looming financial liabilities that threaten our progress, and in the coming months, we will have a robust discussion about how to best face these challenges.”

TEND TO NOTE... IS THE NUMBER OF COPS ON THE STREET. IT BECAME A CENTRAL ISSUE IN THE RECENT MAYORAL ELECTION... AND RESIDENTS RAISE CONCERNS FREQUENTLY AT TOWN HALL MEETINGS. LATELY -- THE NOPD HAS OPERATED WITH FEWER THAN 12- HUNDRED OFFICERS.. A 25 PERCENT DROP FROM 2010 ... WHEN MITCH LANDRIEU TOOK OFFICE... AND A FIGURE THAT IS NEAR A 40-YEAR LOW. AND WHILE THE CITY SAYS IT'S WORKING WITH THE NOPD TO TRY AND RECRUIT NEW COPS - THE WDSU I-TEAM HAS OBTAINED DOCUMENTS THAT SHOW THE MAYOR'S OFFICE RECENTLY CONSIDERED A NEW IDEA. ONE THAT INFURIATED THE POLICE ASSOCIATIONS WHEN WE BROUGHT IT TO THEIR ATTENTION. it's one of the most disturbing documents i've ever seen. i was surprised and disappointed. I think it does not help morale. AND BOTH PANO AND F-O-P SAY THIS SPECIFIC REQUEST FROM CITY HALL HAS THEM SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS. I-TEAM INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER TRAVERS MACKEL IS LIVE AT SIX WITH THE STORY -- AND WHY CITY HALL SAYS, THE OUTRAGE ISN'T WARRANTED. PER THE CITY'S HOME RULE CHARTER THE NOPD IS THE ONLY "POLICE" FORCE ALLOWED IN NEW ORLEANS - BUT IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF AN EXPENSIVE CONSENT DECREE - THE MAYOR'S OFFICE ASKED THE STATE'S HIGHEST-RANKING LEGAL AUTHORITY A QUESTION ... THAT PROMPTED US TO ASK A FEW OF OUR OWN. SECURING ORLEANS PARISH PRISON? -- THAT'S A JOB FOR DEPUTIES WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. STEP INSIDE THE NEARBY COURTHOUSE -- AND THE ORLEANS PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS IN CHARGE THERE, TOO. THEY ARE THE TWO PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE OFFICE HEADED BY SHERIFF MARLIN GUSMAN. BUT THE WDSU I-TEAM NOW KNOWS THAT TWO YEARS AGO - NEW ORLEANS MAYOR MITCH LANDRIEU EXPLORED THE IDEA OF USING DEPUTIES FOR A LOT MORE THAN COURTHOUSE AND JAIL SECURITY. THIS OFFICIAL LETTER - OBTAINED BY THE I-TEAM - WAS SENT FROM FORMER CITY ATTORNEY RICHARD CORTIZAS TO LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL BUDDY CALDWELL IN AUGUST OF 2012. THE LETTER ASKED THE A-G TO WEIGH IN ON A LEGAL ISSUE IN NEW ORLEANS - A MATTER THAT DEALS WITH PERHAPS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN THE CITY: PUBLIC SAFETY. CORTIZAS ASKED THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IF IT'S POSSIBLE FOR THE CITY AND THE LANDRIEU ADMINISTRATION TO "contract with the Orleans Parish Sheriff to provide law enforcement services to the citizens of the City of New Orleans." THREE TOP OFFICIALS WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT GROUPS INTERPRET THE REQUEST THE SAME WAY: AS AN INQUIRY TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE CITY "COULD" USE DEPUTIES ... AS COPS. it's one of the most disturbing documents i've ever seen. THE CITY'S HOME RULE CHARTER STATES, "ONLY" NOPD CAN PROVIDE POLICE SERVICES. IT NOT ONLY DEFINES THE ROLE OF THE NOPD, BUT NOTES, QUOTE, "No officer, department or board operating in or for the City, other than the Department of Police, shall have a police force." IN RECENT MONTHS, NOPD STAFFING HAS BEEN INTO A HOT BUTTON ISSUE. THE COUNCIL, THIS SPRING, LIFTED THE RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT FOR OFFICERS -- AND THE MAYOR VOWED TO GET MORE COPS ON THE STREET BY YEAR'S END. BUT THE POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NEW ORLEANS SAYS THE REQUEST FOR A FORMAL OPINION FROM THE A-G SHOWS THE MAYOR'S OFFICE WAS AWARE OF DWINDLING NUMBERS INSIDE THE NOPD YEARS AGO ... AND LOOKING FOR WORK-AROUNDS. we are even more concerned this was done in august of 2012 and it shows clearly the city knew in august of 2012 we had manpower issues policing the city. THE FORMAL REQUEST WAS SENT SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE MAYOR CHAMPIONED A NEW AGREEMENT WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO REFORM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. Nats of Mitch/Serpas on July 24th, 2012 this AG opinion and it's filing is interesting given the fact that consent decree was filed about a week earlier. THAT CONSENT DECREE CAME WITH A BIG COST -- A 55 MILLION DOLLARS PRICE TAG ATTACHED. IT REQUIRED MORE OFFICERS AND STRINGENT TRAINING FOR ALL COPS. THAT ALONE WOULD HAVE PREVENTED OPSO DEPUTIES FROM SERVING AS COPS, SAYS PANO. essentially what the city contemplated doing was hiring substandard people to police the city of new orleans and let them do police work - and that is reckless. they simply do not have the training you need to be a street cop. FOR EXAMPLE -- THE NOPD REQUIRES OFFICERS TO SPEND 880 HOURS AT THE ACADEMY - THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE ASKS MUCH LESS OF DEPUTIES. LESS THAN 200 HOURS OF TRAINING IS REQUIRED TO BE PART OF A SPECIALIZED UNIT AND EVEN LESS TRAINING FOR DEPUTIES TO GUARD INMATES AT THE JAIL... A JAIL CRITICIZED LAST YEAR FOR INADEQUATE SECURITY MEASURES -- AS INMATES WERE CAUGHT ON CAMERA DRINKING, DOING DRUGS AND WIELDING WEAPONS. Nats - OPP Video THE CITY ASKED THE A-G FOR AN EXPEDITED RESPONSE BACK IN 2012, BUT WITHIN 2 MONTHS WITHDREW ITS REQUEST. CITY ATTORNEY SHERONDA WILLIAMS TELLS THE I-TEAM -- IT ISN'T WHAT PANO AND THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE FEAR. IN A STATEMENT, SHE SAID, QUOTE "It was never the City's intention to have Sheriff's deputies patrol the streets or to have the Sheriff's office replace the NOPD as the City's law enforcement agency." SHE INSISTS THE QUESTION WAS SIMPLY TO CLARIFY, QUOTE, "a state law related to law enforcement services" RELATED TO FUNDING MATTERS FOR ORLEANS PARISH PRISON. A SPOKESMAN FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE SAID THEY WERE NOT AWARE THAT THE CITY HAD ASKED FOR THE OPINION -- AND HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY CITY HALL REGARDING THE MATTER. F-O-P LEADERS BELIEVE THE CITY WITHDREW ITS QUESTION -- WHEN OFFICIALS REALIZED THE IDEA OF USING OPSO IN NEW WAYS WOULD NEVER FLY ... we need to quit with the unicorns and rainbows and get down to grass tax and get out priorities together because quite frankly that ag opinion was unnecessary from the start. there is nothing wrong with brain storming and trying to come up with solutions but this administration is good at tap dancing around what it is suppose to be doing. AGAIN, THE LANDRIEU ADMINISTRATION INSISTS THEY NEVER INTENDED TO USE DEPUTIES IN THE ROLE OF COPS. WE'VE PUT THE FULL REQUEST FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OPINION ONLINE.. ALONG WITH CITY HALL'S COMPLETE STATEMENT ON "WHY' THE QUESTION WAS SUBMITTED. BOTH ARE AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW AT WDSU.COM. OF COURSE, DEPUTIES ALREADY PERFORM NON- LAW ENFORCEMENT DUTIES TIED TO BIG EVENTS; YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN THEM HELPING WITH TRAFFIC, FOR INSTANCE, AROUND THE SUPERDOME. HOWEVER, ORLEANS IS THE ONLY PARISH IN THE STATE WHERE THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE DOES NOT HAVE A PRIMARY ROLE IN FIGHTING CRIME. SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES, IN NEW ORLEANS, ARE NOT TRAINED, TO FIGHT CRIME ON THE STREETS.